The name Horker is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a hawker, or someone who held land in exchange for providing hawks to a lord. The surname Horker is derived from the Old English word hafocere, which means falconer or hawker.

Early Origins of the Horker family

The surname Horker was first found in Northumberland. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list some of the early variations of the name: John le Haueker in Wiltshire; and Hugh le Haukere in Cambridgeshire. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)

Early History of the Horker family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horker research.Another 115 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horker History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horker Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Horker include Hawker, Hawkar, Hawkir and others.

Early Notables of the Horker family (pre 1700)

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Migration of the Horker family to the New World and Oceana

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Horker were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Hawker arrived in the Leeward Islands in 1654; Timothy Hawker arrived in Barbados in 1685.